UMES Enrollment Eclipses 4,500

PRINCESS ANNE, MD - (Oct. 5, 2010) - Enrollment at the University of Maryland Eastern Shore has topped 4,500 students for the first time in the institution's 124-year history.

UMES' research office reports 3,967 undergraduates and 573 graduate students are enrolled at the historically black institution six weeks after classes began in late August.

This fall's record-breaking total includes 64 doctor of pharmacy candidates in the inaugural class of the university's newest academic program. By the fall 2012, UMES' pharmacy school expects to be training 180 students spread across three classes.

"It is encouraging to see enrollment growth at UMES," university President Thelma B. Thompson said. "This improvement is indicative of our collective effort and excellence in program offerings."

When Thompson became UMES' 13th president in 2002, enrollment stood at 3,644 students. It has grown nearly 25 percent during her eight years at the helm.

In 1981, UMES' enrollment was approximately 1,000 students.

Today, UMES is recognized by its peers as one of the nation's upper-tier historically black institutions, according to an annual survey by U.S. News & World Report.